Unitech: Judge who granted bail 'retired'

The Delhi High Court is learnt to have decided to retire Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kapoor at the age of 58, thereby not extending his tenure for two years. July 31 was his last working day.

The decision was taken at a full-court meeting held under Acting Chief Justice Geeta Mittal.

Kapoor, who was posted in Patiala House Court, is the judge who granted interim bail to Unitech promoters Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra in a case of fraud on April 10. Multiple cases of fraud have been lodged against the two brothers. They were given a three-month interim bail against a personal bond of Rs 70 lakh each, as well as a surety of the same amount each. Just over month after he granted bail to the Chandra brothers, he was transferred to Tees Hazari Court.

He also passed an order to acquit the accused in a money laundering case on the same day that he received his transfer order from Patiala House court to Tees Hazari.

His transfer order came on May 15, the same day that he passed the acquittal order.

According to Delhi Judicial Services rules, once the judge of a lower court turns 58, the High Court takes a look into his or her service record to gauge whether the judge should be given an extension of two years.

In the case of Kapoor, after the Full Court decided the issue, the decision was sent to L-G, who accepted the recommendation.